“The best intelligence goes to the best clients.” This statement by Paul Kolbe, former CIA Senior Executive and former BP Head of Intelligence, has resonated for years in the corporate intelligence community. If you’re on a private sector intelligence team, delivering useful intelligence to your clients (or consumers of your intelligence deliverables) starts with fostering a relationship with those clients that’s grounded in mutual trust and feedback. However, getting feedback is a common challenge. Feedback is rarely given the attention it deserves in written content on how to do intelligence well.
Helpful feedback might come in the form of written products (e.g., intelligence deliverables), oral briefings, or informal input. Stakeholders who trust you and see your value are more likely to give you feedback, formally and informally, that can help maximize your impact for the business and motivate you and your team.
You likely recognize the need for feedback but know you cannot do it alone; it requires interest and commitment from both parties. As Business of Intelligence podcast host and experienced practitioner Ryan Long states, “Intelligence is a participatory sport.” The producer and consumer of intelligence must work together to ensure that the intelligence product matches the consumer’s needs.
Feedback is a crucial step in the intelligence cycle that is too often omitted. As explained in Ontic’s guide, The Intelligence Cycle in Action, dissemination must be followed by confirmation that the message was read and resonated with the intended consumer. Even consumers who like your intelligence may not take the time to mention it. Feedback informs both dissemination and direction and is essential for maximizing effectiveness and the intelligence team’s morale.
When done right, feedback achieves five things by answering these questions:
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Effectiveness
Is our intelligence meeting our consumers’ needs?
This starts with determining immediate measures of effectiveness for written intelligence products or briefings.
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Visibility on impact
How did our intelligence support corporate goals?
You should be able to see how your intelligence influences corporate security and strategy components beyond the intelligence practitioner’s remit.
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Morale
Why does our work matter?
Great feedback will motivate the intelligence team.
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Trust
Do our stakeholders see value in continuing to listen to us?
Constructive feedback will build the relationship between consumers and producers of intelligence.
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Identifying stakeholders
Who else would benefit from our support?
Intelligence feedback should open the door to developing new consumers across the enterprise.
